All Africa Festival 2025 Opens November 22, To Screen 5 Films

The All African Independent Film Festival (AAIFF) has announced ‘The Incredible Sensational Fiancée of Seyi Ajayi’ as the opening film for its 2025 edition, which is scheduled to take place on November 22 at Ikota, Lekki, Lagos.

The festival further released a list of its selected films for screenings this year, which include ‘Iwa Ji: The Celebration of Igbo Culture’, ‘Tantra’ (Ghana), ‘The Noise Around Her Black’ and ‘Dead Tide’.

Written and directed by Nigerian-American Abbesi Akhamie, whose works bridge continents while highlighting African and diaspora experiences, ‘The Incredible Sensational Fiancée of Seyi Ajayi’ is set in the fictional, afro-futuristic, Pan-African world of Alkebulan. It is a tale of love, intellect and revenge, where one woman’s heartbreak becomes her awakening.

Produced by Yetunde (Yety) Akinola, whose creative talent has shaped acclaimed films like ‘Rest Stop’ (Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), Sundance Jury Award), and One Night Stay (BET+ and Amazon Prime), ‘The Incredible Sensational Fiancée of Seyi Ajayi’ is edited by Davone Alexis, with Charlotte Hornsby as cinematographer. It stars Ellie Foumbi, Ayola Ayolola, Babetida Sadjo, Michael Oloyede, and Bridget John.

Speaking on the choice of the film for its opening, the festival team said, “it mirrors what this festival stands for, storytelling that moves beyond resistance into joyful authorship. It reminds us that the future of African cinema is not just ahead of us, it’s already here, vibrant and self-defined.”

Other selected films to screen at the one-day festival include ‘Iwa Ji: A Celebration of the Igbo Culture’ – an expository document exploring the New Yam Festival tradition of the Igbo people of Nigeria, directed by Precious Iroagalachi; Odaro Eguavoen’s short film – ‘The Noise Around Her Black’, that examines the mourning rituals that leans towards a spectacle that overshadows the bereaved’s loss. ‘Tantra’ takes viewers into a mysterious club, as it unravels the delicate balance between illusion and authenticity – and how far people will go in their quest for love, fame and eternal youth – in three characters with intertwined lives; and ‘Dead Tide’ – an action thriller, set in the heart of the Niger Delta, where the past washes ashore when a former militant, and a social media influencer’s world collide in a fight for justice.

Also set to hold at the AAIFF are panel sessions of industry stakeholders and trailblazers like Brixton Film Festival founder, Natasha Preville, founder and director of Content Naija AI Festival, Obinna Okerekeocha, founder the Nile Group, Moses O. Babatope, founder Legacy Network, USA, Robert Mason, founder LP House of Creatives, Ike Nnaebue; filmmaker, creative technology and CEO, Slick City, Malik Afegbua; filmmaker and award-winning content creator, Kiitan Bukola; singer, songwriter and Associate Director, Control Risks, Oludee; and Founder, Borders Literature For All Nations.

Founded in 2024, this second edition of the festival, with the theme: ‘Across Waters, Through Stories,’ aims at celebrating the bridge between Africa and the Diaspora, and how African stories travel, transform and return home. It is supported by Brixton Film Festival and Nile Cinema.